


Good Morning, Good Morning!

by alltheglowingeyes



Series: Multi-Chaptered Works [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Before TOA, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Cute, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Nico di Angelo/Will Solace - Freeform, Sleep, Slow Burn, Songfic, after the boo, idk what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26242144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheglowingeyes/pseuds/alltheglowingeyes
Summary: Snapshots of the build-up of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace's relationship, focusing on the some of the most important moments:That's right. The times Will disturbed Nico's sleep schedule.(Title and chapter titles are all based off the song Good Morning from Singin' in the Rain)
Relationships: Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Multi-Chaptered Works [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989604
Comments: 57
Kudos: 190





	1. Good Morning, Good Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First time: Will wakes up Nico during his stay in the infirmary, and Nico starts to realize something weird about his feelings for the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary wasn't too great, so sorry about that!
> 
> But guess what? I actually pre-wrote most of the chapters for this story! It's a miracle!
> 
> Honestly though, the chapters should remain the same at seven, unless I really decide to change something in the story, so it might be one less or more.
> 
> But I'll try to post an update for this every other day, mostly because a lot of it has been prewritten.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

The first time Will woke Nico up was on his first day in the infirmary.

Technically, it was really his second day, but it was to be his first day awake. A few hours into his stay in the infirmary, he had passed out from a mixture of some sleeping drought Will had concocted and exhaustion carried over from the sleepless nights Nico faced before.

Nico had been antsy about trying to sleep, fearful of nightmares plaguing his dreams, but the draught Will gave him did a pretty good job of keeping his worst memories at bay. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing. However, the combination of Nico being an impossibly deep sleeper and the sleeping drought should have made waking Nico up before he naturally arose extremely difficult. And yet, _somehow_ , the son of Apollo did it, waking Nico up at roughly nine AM.

The son of Hades remembered a warm hand on his shoulder. To this day, he had no idea how he sensed Will’s presence in his deep sleep (Will likes to say it’s because Nico, even then, was a softie for Will; Nico refuses to confirm or deny that theory), but his instincts kicked in as he sat up, blinking rapidly and flailing his hands to grab any sort of item to use as a weapon.

“Woah, Death Boy. I’d prefer if you didn’t deck me right now; I’ve been told my nose is my best feature.”

Nico groaned, rubbing his eyes as he shot Will a half-hearted glare, “Whoever told you that is lying. Now go away and let me sleep.”

Will gasped in mock hurt, placing a hand on his chest, “You wound me, my good sir. But on a serious note, you’ve slept for almost forty-eight hours, and while I’m all for catching up on rest, you need to eat something before you just knock out again.”

Nico sighed. He really wanted to just go back to sleep, floating in a dazed state of nothingness and resting, but he had a feeling now that he was up, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again for a while. 

He crossed his arms, glancing at Will, “Fine, I’ll stay up for a bit.”

Will beamed, “That’s the spirit,” he chirped as he produced two breakfast-filled plates ( _“Don’t worry, I did sacrifices for both of us. I’m sure the gods don’t care that much about the details”_ ) from the nightstand, handing one to Nico and settling in a chair with the other plate. The two started eating in silence as Nico nibbled at a strawberry, glancing up at Will every once in a while to see him devouring his meal. At one point, they locked eyes and Will grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry, I missed dinner yesterday so I’ve been pretty hungry.”

Nico frowned at the son of Apollo, “You could have got breakfast earlier then. Did you wait to eat with me?”

Nico could have sworn Will’s ears turned slightly red, as if he was embarrassed,, but the smug smile on his face contrasted that idea. “What can I say? I wanted to enjoy a meal with my favorite patient. Is that a problem?”

The son of Hades rolled his eyes, averting his gaze nonetheless. Another hush fell between the boys, but it was comforting. Nico didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, and Will didn’t seem to either as the two of them polished off their meals. Once they were finished, Will took both their plates, scraping anything left in the plates into the trash. 

He shot Nico a sideways smile, “I’ve got to do my rounds and stuff, but I’ll be back to check on you around lunch, ok? If you need anything, flag down one of my siblings and they’ll come and get me.”

Nico nodded, watching the blonde exit the room with the empty plates in his hands. As he leaned back in his bed, he found himself unable to close his eyes and go back to sleep. A thought flitted through his mind: _I’d stay awake for Will Solace anyday._

Nico immediately groaned and tried to erase the thought, flipping himself over and burying his face into the pillow.

_Well, shit. Here we go again_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> Leave a comment with any feedback, if you want. :D


	2. We've Talked The Whole Night Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time: Will inadvertently wakes up Nico, and the two have some good conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter this time. TW for brief descriptions of a panic/anxiety attack.
> 
> Please let me know if I need to add anything else as a TW.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

The next time Will woke Nico up, it wasn’t on purpose.

It was Nico’s last day in the infirmary. Will had locked Nico in for five days, rather than the original three they had agreed upon due to Nico sleeping through most of their time. Secretly, Nico was ok with it; he had come to enjoy the son of Apollo’s presence. Despite being obnoxiously bright and bossy at times, he was actually pretty funny, with a slightly dark and candid sense of humour that Nico could get behind. He was also genuinely kind to everyone and, compared to some of his siblings, loved to be able to look after others and help people, taking his job very seriously.

( _ He was also pretty cute, but Nico did his best to ignore that. _ )

Despite giving Will hell for all his mother-henning, Nico felt better in the past few days then he had felt in the last three years. He was feeling rested enough, he had appropriately-sized meals everyday, and generally, he felt  _ lighter _ , like the weight of living that had been constantly pressing on his soul for years was finally being lifted.

So, of course, the Fates had to throw something in to disturb his peace. 

Nico woke up rather suddenly, huffing as he sat up and did his best to disentangle himself from his sheets. He had no idea why he was up ( _ Will would later call it his Solace-senses, adding to Nico’s list of why Will is a complete dorkI) _ , his eyes scanning his partitioned sector of the infirmary. At first, everything seemed normal, and Nico was fully ready to try and fall back asleep. However, after a few seconds he realized he heard something that sounded like sniffling, as well as slightly ragged breaths following the sniffles. Nico hesitated, one leg hanging off his cot as he debated whether he should check what’s wrong. As he heard another deep and pained-sounded breath, however, Nico decided he couldn’t go back to sleep without checking in good conscience ( _ stupid Solace rubbing off on him; giving him a conscience or some shit _ ). He crept out of his cot and exited his section of the infirmary.

He followed the soft sniffles and found the source of the sound to be coming from one of the closet-turned-offices in the infirmary. The son of Hades hesitated near the door before pushing himself to peek inside, his heart fluttering at the sight.

Will Solace sat at a medium-sized desk in the closet, gazing at some papers in front of him. However, as Nico looked closer, he could see that the son of Apollo was clearly upset. He was hunched forward, hands on his thighs as he clutched them tightly. His breathing was also weird, like it was hard to take a full gasp of air in.

Nico moved closer, unsure of what exactly to do. After a few seconds of awkwardly lurking, Nico decided to make his presence known. “Solace.”

Will immediately looked up at Nico. His face was wet and slightly flushed, but he gave Nico a sorry-attempt of a smile, “Di Angelo. I didn’t- what are y-you doing here?” he sputtered out, ragged breathing ruining any sort of bravado he was trying to put on.

Nico fidgeted with his hands. If he was any good at comfort, he would have put his arms around Will and held him or tried to help him properly stabilize his breathing. Unfortunately, Nico still didn’t know how to do that properly, so he did what he could think of.

“Can I get you something? Water, or a snack or something? Or I can get Kayla and-”

“No!” Will yelped, his eyes panicked. Then he cleared his throat, taking another half-hearted breath. “Just… Water please. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I’ll be right back with water,” he murmured, quickly rushing to a different closet which he remembered seeing Will bring water bottles from. He grabbed a bottle and made his way back to Will as quickly as possible.

Will took the bottle from Nico, eagerly drinking up the water and pausing in between to try and calm his breathing. The son of Hades stood back a bit, giving the son of Apollo his space. After a few more minutes of silence, Will’s breathing seemed to stabilize more or less. He glanced at Nico, his expression between grateful and embarrassed.

“Thank you. The water helped and stuff. Uh… sorry if I woke you up or something,” he mumbled, wincing slightly at the idea.

Nico just shrugged. “It’s alright. I don’t mind being up right now honestly; I probably would have woken up all by myself anyways. I also just tend to be more aware of, well,  _ things _ , so I doubt anyone else heard or something.”

Will nodded, gaze averted. “Yeah. Let’s hope so.”

Another pause of silence. Then, Nico blurted out, “Are you ok? I mean, from what just happened that’s probably a stupid question but… do you need to, uh, talk or something?” he added, mumbling the last part.

The corners of Will’s lips turned up, but his expression quickly became stormy again. “I’ve just been a little high-strung the past few days. I think I just crashed, physically and mentally, y’know?”

Nico nodded. He knew exactly what that was like. “I see.”

Will chewed his bottom lip, squeezing the plastic bottle in his hands. “I-uh, this might be hypocritical but could we not talk about this right now? I mean, I just…” his voice trailed off, but Nico understood what he meant.

“Sure. What do you want to talk about then, if you want to talk?”

Will pondered for a second, before grinning slightly. “Do you want to hear some weird animal facts?”

Honestly, Nico didn’t really want to; animals didn’t get along with him typically. But his current goal on his mind was to cheer Will up, and if stupid animal facts made him happy, Nico could deal with it. Just then, he remembered vaguely Will teasing him about a certain card game he used to play and suppressed a smile as he retorted, “Only if I can teach you some Mythomagic rules in return.”

Will laughed, the sound slightly hoarse but nonetheless full of mirth. “Secret geek, then? Still don’t believe it, but I can roll with it.”

Nico rolled his eyes, pulling a chair up nearer to Will and shoving him slightly. The two proceeded to hold a conversation consisting of strange tangents and lots of laughs. Will told him about different strange animals he read about (“ _ Did you know there’s an immortal jellyfish? It can literally just revert through the stages of life if it gets hurt and heals itself over and over again. Imagine if we could do that. That would make my job so much easier” _ ) and Nico instructed Will with basic Mythomagic facts ( _ “Persephone’s card is pretty low powered usually, but if you get the Hades or Demeter card, her power grows exponentially. Honestly though, the woman is pretty terrifying for a flower goddess. She turned me into a fucking dandelion; I’d say that’s pretty powerful” _ ). 

Time flew as the two talked, and by the time their conversation wrapped up, Will commented that they talked all through the night. Will finished up some final check-up details for Nico before releasing him from the infirmary, and the two walked back to the cabins as Nico forced Will to go to bed before heading to the Hades cabin himself. 

Moving to lay himself down on his bed, he closed his eyes, focusing on the sense of contentment in his chest as he reminisced about their late-night/early morning conversations. As he drifted back to sleep, something occurred to the son of Hades.

_ I would stay up all night to be able to talk to this boy _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> Leave any feedback/comments, if you want.


	3. Good Morning To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Third time: Will wakes up Nico because he wants a breakfast buddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit more fluffier than the last one, so that's fun.
> 
> Also sorry if my updating schedule for my stories sucks for a bit. I've been in a rut mentally recently so it's hard to bring myself to write sometimes. Also, school will be starting soon for me so rip. But I'll still try to work on relatively consistent updates for all my work.
> 
> One more thing: I don't know if my updates are showing up properly on the updated page for certain tags. That probably makes no sense, but if they aren't, sorry.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

Nico had two weeks of peaceful sleep after his all-night with Will in the infirmary before the son of Apollo took it upon himself to wake Nico up at a reasonable time.

Over those two weeks, the boys had a delicate friendship growing between them. Nico spent the majority of his time in the infirmary ( _ no longer as a patient, thank the Gods _ ), helping to cut bandages, doing some basic paperwork, and simply chatting and annoying Will. And even though he would never tell it to Will’s face, it made his time at Camp much more fun and bearable.

Of course, Will  _ had _ to make him regret their tentative friendship by disturbing his peaceful sleep.

The particular day that Will woke Nico up, the son of Hades had slept late, around one AM. While it wasn’t the latest he had stayed up, and he did get some sleep, the days before Nico had been getting to bed around eleven PM at the latest. 

He was sleeping rather peacefully; he had woken up briefly once from a nightmare, but after he went back to sleep, he slept well, not exactly dreaming of anything. He probably could have slept until noon, but his peace was disturbed by a tickling at his nose.

He frowned, eyes still shut tightly as he just hoped the feeling would go away. However, as the tickling persisted, Nico scowled and batted at his nose. The feeling went away, but a few seconds later Nico felt a tickling on his cheek. It continued like this for a few more minutes: Nico would feel a tickling on some part of his face and bat or scratch at the feeling until it went away, only to have it happen again a few seconds later. He kept his eyes shut tightly, trying to go back into a deep sleep so he could ignore the feeling, but eventually conceded that it wasn’t going to happen. 

Opening his eyes, he was faced with something even more annoying than that inane tickling: Will  _ fucking _ Solace.

Nico (partially on reflex and partially because it was Will) grabbed one of the pillows on his bed and proceeded to whack the son of Apollo on the head. Unfortunately, he was still tired, so it wasn’t strong enough to properly drive the other boy away, but he took some satisfaction from watching him stumble back and rub his head, wincing slightly.

“Well and a good morning to you too, Death Boy,” huffed Will, a trace of his typical smug smile on his face.

Nico scowled at the Will, but his look of hatred lost some of its potency as the older boy flicked on the lamp next to Nico’s bed, shining light straight into the son of Hades’ tired eyes.

“You really could use some windows in here. I mean, I know you’re committed to the aesthetic, but you need some sunlight,” Will murmured, wrinkling his nose as he looked around.

Nico huffed, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of his bed as he rubbed his eyes. When he finally looked at Will, he vaguely noted that the son of Apollo seemed to glow in the darkness of the cabin, specifically the ocean of freckles that covered him. It was quite fascinating, and Nico would have liked to ask about whether it was an Apollo thing, but he was too busy being pissed off at the idiot for waking him up. 

“You breaking into my cabin is a whole new level of an invasion of privacy. And were you… Did you tickle me with a  _ fucking feather _ ?” he grumbled as he stood up, stretching. When the son of Apollo didn’t answer, he noticed the boy was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

Suddenly, Nico felt self-conscious, realizing that he was in an old t-shirt and random gym shorts, and probably had an obnoxious case of bedhead. He mustered up another glare at the boy.

“Well, congratulations. You woke me up. Now, do you mind, like, leaving so I can get ready for the day?”

Will blinked, before nodding quickly, giving Nico an awkward smile. “Yeah, of course. And as your doctor, it is my solemn duty to make sure you don’t sleep the day away. You also need some breakfast, and I was just going to get mine. It’s a little late, and I think everyone else already ate but I didn’t because I was working a weirdly-timed shift last night, so I kind of slept in too. But, uh, anyways, we could be breakfast buddies, right? Or actually that sounds like something a five-year-old would say, but…”

Suddenly, Will looked incredibly flustered, rubbing the back of his neck, “Ah, I’m rambling. Sorry. You don’t have to eat with me, but just make sure to get some breakfast, ok?” he mumbled, before turning to make his way out of the dark cabin. Nico took a moment to process everything the son of Apollo just threw his way before blurting out, “Wait!”

Will turned around, still looking considerably embarrassed by his rambling. Nico felt just as embarrassed by his reaction, but did his best to look unbothered. “I’ll be ready in five minutes. Wait outside. And you better throw out that damn feather before I shove it in your ear.”

Will grinned, and this time Nico was  _ positive _ that Will’s freckles were glowing with happiness. “Awesome! I mean, not the feather threat. I don’t know how you can make a feather sound threatening, but you did it. But whatever, you say breakfast buddy!”

With that, Will turned and left the cabin, ignoring Nico’s grumbling at the nickname. As soon as the son of Apollo left, Nico went into the bathroom of the cabin ( _ a perk of overseeing basic construction of the cabin _ ) and checked out his reflection in the mirror. He looked rather rough, between the still-prominent bags under his eyes and messy hair, but what caught his eye was the blush on his face. Nico frowned, glaring at his reflection as he realized why he was slightly red-faced. 

_ There’s no fucking way _ , he thought to himself.  _ I’m not doing this again _ . _ Will Solace is an annoying prick, and we are barely friends. _

But despite his attempted denial, the moment he stepped out of his cabin and into the sunlight and presence of Will Solace, he felt a strange sense of warmth overwhelm him. And as the son of Apollo lightly grabbed his arm and pulled him to the dinner pavilion, a thought struck him.

_ Maybe this is what friendship feels like. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter!
> 
> Leave a comment with any feedback, if you want. :D


	4. The Stars Were Shining Bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourth time: Will wakes up Nico to show him something special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another consistent update. Who would have thought lmao?
> 
> This one was fun to write; I worked on it like around one AM the past few days. So, not good for my sleep schedule, but hopefully I got the deLiRioUs rAmbLinGs right.
> 
> (Or maybe it'll just suck because sometimes when I'm tired I think I'm funnier than I actually am lol.)
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

The next time Nico was awoken by the son of Apollo was towards the end of August.

In the few weeks prior, the two had become surprisingly good friends. Nico found himself enjoying Will’s presence, once he got past the annoying aspects of the older boy. He was selfless, smart, and funny, always making time for anyone who needed his help. Nico also noted the son of Apollo worked himself to the bone. 

It was a little concerning and rather hypocritical; some days, when the two would hang out after Will’s infirmary shifts, the medic would be completely drained, both physically and emotionally. But Nico wasn’t sure how close they were and if it was appropriate to say anything to him. Besides, Nico didn’t really understand how to comfort people; hell, he barely knew how to speak to people in general. So Nico didn’t press for information, the two simply enjoying each other’s presence whenever they could.

Despite their budding friendship, however, Nico wasn’t ready to give up any sleep for Will Solace. So when he heard a persistent knock on one of the newly-added windows of the Hades cabin ( _ thanks, Annabeth _ ) and looked up to see Will Solace, his silhouette illuminated by the moonlight, Nico had half a mind to throw his sword in the son of Apollo’s general direction.

Lucky for Will, Nico regained his sense of self-control, instead making his way to the said window and opening it up. 

“You know, for someone who insists I should work on maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, you sure do seem to enjoy  _ ruining _ it,” the younger boy grumbled. The son of Apollo just grinned back at him, his smile just as blinding in the darkness of night as in the light of day.

“This is important. Come with me?” Will asked, pouting slightly and clasping his hands. Nico pondered over the decision for the moment. On one hand, he was tired as  _ shit _ and he would rather not have “death by harpies” marking his grave.

But on the other hand, er…  _ Will Solace _ .

Nico sighed, and shooting the boy a half-hearted glare, proceeded to crawl out the window. Once he was fully outside, Will beamed at him, before raising a finger to his lips while taking his hand and leading him in the direction of the Apollo cabin. Nico at first resisted the urge to break Will’s wrist for holding his hand, but considered actually going through with it once he realized he had  _ no fucking idea what was happening _ .

As they approached the Apollo cabin by traveling behind the other cabins, Will let go of Nico’s hand before moving over to the back wall of the cabin. He felt his hand around the wall, and Nico suddenly noticed a button hidden behind some rather convenient bushes. As soon as Will pushed the button, a ladder of some sorts dropped down from the top of the cabin. Nico started to understand what was happening, but before he could confirm anything, Will was climbing up the ladder, stopping halfway through to beckon to the bemused son of Hades to follow.

Nico sighed again, but obliged with Will’s request, climbing up to the roof of the cabin. As he reached the top, he had to admit he liked the view. He wasn’t fond of heights, seeing as Zeus wasn’t exactly  _ Uncle of The Year _ to him, but despite being relatively high up, the glittering stars and moon above them was worth it. 

The top of the cabin itself was flat enough that the both could settle nicely on the roof. Will sat down on the roof, patting a spot next to him for Nico to join him.

Nico frowned at Will, waiting for an explantion. Will obliged. “The ladder has been there since I first came to Camp. Back when… when Lee was here, our cabin used to just all sit under the sky at night, having some sibling bonding time. We liked to wave to the moon and ask Lady Artemis to tell our dad we said hi. She probably didn’t even see us, but it was still fun. But, uh, we stopped using it when the war started coming closer, and after Lee died it was forgotten. Most of my siblings now weren’t in the original group who knew about this, so I like to use it at night as a relaxing space, and I figured that it would be fun to bring a friend”. 

At that, he shot Nico a quick smile. Nico shifted a little uncomfortably, still a little wary of getting caught and tired from being woken up.

“Can’t the harpies see us? I’d rather  _ not _ be dinner,” he asked finally.

Will laughed softly, shaking his head. “I highly doubt they can see us if they bothered checking up here. And if they do catch us, well, I can pull a favor or two from them.”

Nico rolled his eyes, fixing his gaze on the glittering expanse of sky ahead of him. “Is there anyone in this Camp who doesn’t owe you a debt?” he grumbled.

“Yeah, sure. The dead ones,” Will mumbled in response. Immediately after the words left his mouth, his face went red as they locked eyes in a moment of silence. Then, Nico proceeded to start laughing, as Will apologized profusely and awkwardly.

A few minutes into a comfortable silence, after the two calmed down, Will spoke up. “So, want to play a game?”

Nico scoffed, “For the last time, high-fiving isn’t a game. You don’t  _ play _ high-five. That’s like playing hug.”

Will poked his tongue out at the son of Hades. “Shush, you. I meant let’s play twenty questions.”

Upon registering the look of confusion on Nico’s face, Will explained the rules to Nico. After Nico confirmed he understood the game, the two began asking each other questions. 

It started off pretty shallow but entertaining, both careful not to push the other too hard (“ _ What’s your favorite colour?” “That’s a fucking boring question, but well… I like blue, I guess. Favorite animal?” “Speaking of boring questions, Death Boy. But I actually really like caterpillars.” “...Caterpillars? Couldn’t you say a dog or something like a normal person?” “Hey!”).  _ As the game progressed, however, the two went deeper and more personal with their questions. Nico wasn’t too fond of emotionally stimulating conversations, but he didn’t mind talking with Will. It felt natural, in a sense.

“What’s a hidden talent you have?” Will asked.

Nico pondered the questions for a moment, before shrugging. “I can do a handstand.”

Will’s eyes bugged out of his head as he sat up a little straighter. “ _ Dude _ , I beg of you, please teach me. That’s so awesome.”

Nico suppressed a smile. “You can barely walk in a straight line without killing five children, but I can try.”

Will huffed, whacking Nico’s arm playfully as he smiled and waited for Nico’s questions. Nico hesitated, before asking “What exactly happened to you in the infirmary that night?”

Immediately, the son of Apollo sobered up. Nico didn’t elaborate on the question, as they both knew which night he was referring too. However, Will’s expression made Nico add quickly, “Sorry. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to. I can come up with something else. I just… Wanted to know, I guess.”

Will was quiet for a few seconds before sighing and running a hand through his hair. “You’re good. I figured we would have to talk about it sooner or later”. He pushed himself up from his reclining position, sitting criss-cross. Nico did the same.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I kind of reached my breaking point that night. I was just really high-strung, and I let it all fester until I could properly deal with my feelings alone. I kind of underestimated how bad it was though, and I ended up spiraling into, well,  _ that.  _ I just… for all the help I try to provide to other people for their feelings, I suck at handling my own. And I know I don’t handle them properly, but I also don’t want to be reliant on others”. He paused there, taking a deep breath. “That’s also why I didn’t want you to get Kayla. I didn’t want her to see me losing my shit. I’m supposed to be the head medic and oldest sibling of my cabin, so it’s my job to put on a brave face all the time.”

Will stopped his explanation abruptly, avoiding eye contact with Nico. “I’m sorry. That was a huge info dump that you probably didn’t need.”

Nico hesitated for a second, trying to figure out what to do. In a split second decision, he grabbed Will’s hand in his own, linking fingers as he rhythmically tapped on the older boy’s knuckles. He had been around Will long enough to see that he responded well to physical contact. Sure enough, some of the tension seemed to escape Will’s shoulders, as he shot Nico a grateful look.

Nico took that as an opportunity to respond. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to hear what you had to say. I’m… not too great at this comfort thing, but I just want you to know that I’m hear if you need to defuse and let out some things on your mind, before it bubbles over like it did before. And I know you don’t want to, but consider someday just talking about what’s going on in your head to Kayla or any of your other siblings. They all adore you and would probably do anything they could to help you out.”

Will cracked a smile. “Thanks, Nico. That was really what I needed to hear right now, honestly.” He nudged Nico’s shoulder with his own, “Seems to me you’ve been picking up some people skills, huh? You’ve had an excellent teacher, looks like.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Must you ruin everything by being so…  _ Apollo _ ?”

Will laughed at that, and Nico joined in. The two continued going back and forth between questions until Nico felt his eyes grow heavy with exhaustion. He felt himself drift off to sleep, and when he woke up, he was surprised to find himself in his own cabin, all tucked in. Before he could really remember the events of the night before, he grabbed a note he found on his nightstand, written in Will Solace’s signature chicken scratch.

_ Good Morning, Lord of Darkness! _

_ You fell asleep last night, so I carried you back. I swear I didn’t touch anything in your cabin. although you better show up to meals today and eat a little extra. You weigh almost nothing to me, and that says a lot seeing as I have noodles for arms. _

_ Hope you slept well, and I’ll see you around (infirmary shift from 9-12; would love to have you stop by and help/chat :D) _

_ Your favorite person ever, _

_ Will Solace :) _

_ (P.S: A sincere thank you for what you said last night. I’ll think about talking things out with some of my siblings! Also, thanks for humoring me and my delirious ramblings.) _

Nico finished scanning the letter over, placing it carefully back on the nightstand. As he stood up, he realized he was unconsciously smiling. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the letter or because he realized he fell asleep holding  _ Will fucking Solace _ ’s hand.

Quickly getting ready for the day, Nico left his cabin with a blooming feeling of warmth in his chest and a single thought on his mind.

_ Maybe this time, I’ll get my happy ending. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! I did my best to make sure that Nico didn't get too OOC at the end of the chapter, with the comfort and what not, but IDK if I succeeded.
> 
> Leave a comment with any feedback, if you want. :D


	5. Sunbeams Will Soon Smile Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fifth time: Will puts his newest art project to use when waking up Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely a shorter chapter (under 1000 words; I can't believe I had it in me), but that's because the next two are going to be a little longer, as they are the wrapping up parts of the fic.
> 
> In other words, this is kind of a filler chapter, but it's also the chapter that connects to the original one-shot I wrote that was my inspiration for this entire fic.
> 
> So if you want something extra to read, the fic is called "I Hate You (Because I Love You)". I'll link it at the end notes, because it might make more sense to read after reading this first.
> 
> Enjoy! :D
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

Will seemed to always try and outdo his previous method of waking Nico up by pulling something progressively more and more outrageous. Each time, Nico figured there was  _ no way _ that Will could top his last stunt. And yet each time, the idiot managed to prove him wrong.

This day was no exception. Nico, at this point, was waking up around nine AM on his own accord because of Will, but some days his bed was just a little too warm to encourage him to get up. He was having a rare and peaceful dream, when he felt a prodding at his shoulder.

Groaning, the son of Hades rolled over and slapped away the hand that he knew must belong to Will. After two more repeats of this, Nico blearily opened his eyes, fully ready to chew Will out for being an annoying prick.

Instead, he was face-to-face with (what Nico’s half-delirious brain registered to be) a  _ hideous _ demon. The son of Hades yelped and rolled away from the sight. However, he overestimated the bed space he had and rolled himself straight off the bed, landing on the ground with a hefty  _ thunk _ . 

Nico groaned, laying flat on the ground and pressing his face into the floor. He could hear an obnoxiously giddy laugh and footsteps moving to him, but didn’t bother to get up. After a few seconds of laughter and Nico getting ready to accept that he would just have to sleep on the floor, he felt a nudge at this leg.

“Nice try Neeks, but playing dead isn’t going to get you out of waking up,” Will commented, the amusement clear in his voice.

Nico mumbled something intelligible, and Will nudged the son of Hades with his foot again. “Speak up, please. It’s hard to understand you when you’re making out with the floor.”

Nico sighed, flipping himself over so he was laying on his back. “You’re a fucking dick,” he grumbled, rubbing his eyes furiously as he glanced at the son of Apollo towering over him.

Will just smirked, looking way too pleased with himself. “Only to the people I like, sure. Now come on. Up and at ‘em, Death Boy,” he announced, extending a hand to Nico.

Nico frowned, glaring at the older boy’s hand for a few seconds before begrudgingly taking it and allowing himself to be pulled up. Will pulled a little too hard, however, as the two were suddenly standing a little too close. He stared into Will’s blue eyes, studying how the older boy’s face was framed with an abundance of freckles. He was so tempted to just reach out and count each and every one, but snapped himself out of it as he pulled away, hiding his flustered face.

“Right. Um, ok… What are you- How…” Nico cleared his throat, restarting his sentence. “What in my father’s name was that which you woke me up with?”

Will’s ears were as red as Nico’s own face, but he nonetheless gave the son of Hades a cocky smile. “Easy! It’s my art project; y’know, the one I’ve been telling you about?”

He produced the  _ thing _ from behind his back, looking quite proud. Nico studied the apparent mask with a look of disgust. It was large and painted garish colours, with huge googly eyes pasted unevenly, a realistic nose that Nico was pretty sure was one of those pencil sharpeners, and a mouth made out of…  _ were those cotton balls _ ?

“ _ Holy Hera _ , Will. When you said you had a cool surprise you were working on in art, I thought you meant a little painting or some bracelet thing. Not this hell-beast creation,” Nico grumbled as he walked past Will and to his bathroom to get ready for the day.

As he was brushing his teeth and attempting to somewhat tame his hair, Will protested Nico’s reaction. “I tried! And for the record, the feathers for eyebrows was Luisa’s idea. You try saying no to a ten-year-old as cute as her!”

Nico huffed, rinsing his mouth and turning off the tap as he exited the bathroom. “Trust me, the eyebrows are the  _ best _ feature of it. Now step out while I change please. And while you’re at it, burn that…  _ thingy _ .”

Will stuck his tongue out, holding the mask up to his face as he walked backwards out of the cabin. Nico rolled his eyes, but suppressed a smile as he got his clothes and changed for the day. Once he finished, the two made their way to the dining pavilion, where they split to their respective tables (Will to the Apollo table, Nico to the unofficial Big Three table). He spent the entire breakfast ranting about Will and his stupid wake up call to Percy and Jason, who were not amused. The son of Hades almost killed Percy multiple times in that short period when the older boy not only implied that Nico had a  _ thing _ for Will, but when Will almost heard what the idiot said while coming over to ask for Nico’s help in the infirmary. Still, his cousins allowed him to rant about the son of Apollo, so Nico didn’t really go through with his murder plans whenever they implied his not-so-secret crush on the son of Apollo.

Even after his breakfast spent ranting, however, Nico found himself heading to the infirmary as he promised the son of Apollo. At this point, Nico couldn’t deny his feelings any longer as he felt his heart skip a beat when Will waved to him from the doorway of the infirmary.

_ I’m officially falling for Will-fucking-Solace. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't my favorite chapter that I have written, but it was still fun lol.
> 
> Here is the other connected one-shot, "I Hate You (Because I Love You)":  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26187082
> 
> Also, in regards to my other multi-chapter fics: I haven't abandoned them! I'm just a little stuck on the writing for them right now, so I'm going against my previous statements of "oH i'LL uPdAtE oNCe a wEeK" lmao. But once this fic is wrapped up, I'll be putting all my effort into getting some chapters up for the fics hehe.
> 
> Anyways. Yeah. :P
> 
> Leave any feedback, if you want!


	6. I Don't Want To Say Goodnight (Pt 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sixth time: This time, Will doesn't wake Nico up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have finally decided this fic will have 8 chapters instead of 7! That's because this chapter actually turned out really long, and I wanted to stay relatively consistent with chapter lengths. So, I split it in two and I'll post the second half tomorrow.
> 
> It's still a pretty long chapter as is, but meh. I'm feeling a little weird about posting this chapter, but I really hope you guys like it.
> 
> That's all I have to say. I'll shut up now.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

Will didn’t wake Nico up this time.

The son of Apollo didn’t even shoot Nico a friendly smile in the morning, as Nico skulked into the dinner pavilion, sitting with Percy at their table.

Percy noticed the younger boy’s upset demeanor, raising an eyebrow as he waited patiently for an explanation. Nico didn’t elaborate as he just sighed, summoning an apple and some scrambled eggs before getting up from the table and walking away. He scraped the eggs into the fire and made his way as quickly as he could back to his cabin, closing the door tightly behind him. Making his way to his bed, he collapsed onto it backwards, staring at his ceiling blankly.

He so wanted to be able to talk about what was going on to Percy or Jason or  _ anyone _ , but he couldn't bring himself to. The combination of the events replaying in his head and the feelings overwhelming him convinced him he deserved to be alone, to suffer by himself. It wasn't anything new anyways; he had spent over three years all alone, with no one to talk to. Perhaps it was because of all the time he had recently spent with Will that made him open to conversation, and subsequently ( _ in his opinion _ ), open to hurt.

_ Gods, Will _ …

Nico knew he screwed up bad. It was only a matter of time. But it didn’t make it hurt any less.

Things had been going superbly between him and Will. The two had really fallen in stride, and Nico found his fondness of the son of Apollo growing every day they spent together. He wasn’t as dense when it came to feelings as people might have thought, however; he could tell that Will was probably flirting with him ( _ although he couldn’t pick out if it was just the boy’s nature or if it really meant something _ ).

And then Nico fucked things up.

The two were sitting on the dock by the lake. Will had finished up a shift in the infirmary and was regaling Nico with tales of the most gruesome of injuries. The conversation was on a normal track, when Will mentioned. “...Mitchell was  _ so _ pissed at Connor. Can’t say I blame him, though. Connor is as accident-prone as you Big Three kids. When we dated, I could never tell if he was coming to the infirmary to visit or because someone stabbed him. But anyways, I-”

“Whoa, whoa. Time out,” Nico cut in, staring at Will. “You dated Connor?”

Will grinned sheepishly, playing with a stray curl. “Ah, it wasn’t too serious. Just after the Battle of Manhattan, we both needed a distraction. He was a real sweetheart though, but we’re better off as friends.”

Nico continued staring at Will for a few more seconds before managing to ask, “Does that mean that you’re… that you like  _ boys _ ?”

Will blinked, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. “Oh, uh yeah. I’m bisexual… surprise? I didn’t really think about whether you have a problem with it or something but…”

It took Nico a few more seconds to process what Will said before he shook his head vehemently. “Oh  _ gods _ , Will, no. It would be weird if I had a problem because I’m the… same?”

Nico mentally cursed at how awkward that sounded. He wanted to just scream  _ I’M GAY _ and clear it up easily, but the word felt too weird on his tongue. Thankfully, Will was smart enough to make sense of Nico’s jumbled response, donning a bright smile.

“Oh, neat! This is great! Camp has a lot of LGBT+ resources and support. I mean, I’ve been out since I was about twelve, and the only homophobe I ran into was at the receiving end of Maimer by Clarisse. But you know, since the whole world ending thing is over, Mitchell and I have been trying to convince Chiron to either let us go to the city for PRIDE next year or throw our own PRIDE because we missed the one for this year. It’ll be so much fun if he lets us go. But until then, I can introduce you to more of our LGBT+ campers and-”

“Stop,” Nico ordered, glaring at the now-stunned son of Apollo. Nico didn’t care about the hurt flashing across the older boy’s face, because the  _ anger _ that was bubbling in his chest was much stronger than his feelings for Will. He didn’t know why he was angry, or if that was really what he was feeling, but in a moment’s panic, Nico’s defenses shot up.

“ _ Solace _ . While your enthusiasm is all cute and everything, we aren’t doing any of that. No one else gets to know;  _ hell _ , I shouldn’t have even told you,” he grumbled, folding his arms.

Will’s eyes widened as he immediately backtracked. “Oh gods, Nico. I wasn’t going to out you or anything. That was all if you wanted to, but… uh sorry. I just got excited. But you have to know that no one would judge you if you decided to come out at some point.”

Nico could have accepted that apology. It was clear that Will was sincerely sorry and just wanted to offer Nico his support. But there was an uneasy  _ hatred _ that was writhing around in the pit of his stomach, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Before he could stop himself, Nico found himself lashing out at Will, “That’s what you say  _ now _ , Solace. But I’m sure that everyone at this Camp will  _ love _ to hear something else that sets me apart from other demigods, right? Just another reason to talk about me behind my back and shoot disgusting looks my way.”

Will looked hurt and a little annoyed, “Nico, I  _ told _ you that no one is going to judge you. And we’ve also been over the fact that campers here want to be your friend.”

Nico laughed bitterly, “Sure they do. They need the creepy son of Hades as an ally in times of trouble, but the moment things are going well most of them wouldn’t give me a second thought.”

“Well, maybe,  _ di Angelo _ , it’s time to try a little harder. You’re so resistant to other campers befriending you; I mean, it took me almost a month to befriend you-”

“We aren’t friends,” Nico spat out. Will’s expression turned to pure hurt and disbelief, and Nico could understand why. Deep down, Nico knew that the two of them were friends ( _ potentially more _ ), but his anger was overriding any logical thoughts in his brain as he continued. “See, this is your problem, Solace. You  _ think _ you know everything about me, that you can fix me or something. I bet that’s all this was, right? I’m just a pity project for you to help out, just to humor until you feel good enough about yourself?”

Will stared at Nico, “That’s not it at all-”.

“Oh really? Then, tell me Solace, why after being at this Camp for almost three years on-and-off, you never seemed to give a flying  _ fuck  _ about me.” Nico scowled, sitting up straight. “You know what? You’re just another carbon-copy Apollo kid, who thinks he is so much greater than he actually is. The Mr. Heartthrob of this stupid Camp, with a living mom and great friends and siblings. People  _ like _ you at this Camp, and you try to act like you understand  _ anything _ about me? Well,  _ fuck off _ . Got it?”

The moment Nico spat out those final words, he felt his stomach turn in disgust at the pained look on Will’s face turning completely emotionless. The son of Apollo nodded curtly, standing up, “Well, when you put it that way, I doubt I can say no to that.”

Nico watched Will turn on heels. The older boy was shaking, whether from anger or withheld tears, Nico couldn’t tell. The son of Hades sat silently on the dock, watching Will storm off back to the main Camp area. He felt numb, the anger that was residing in his gut dissipating and leaving him feeling empty. After a few seconds of trying to comprehend what had happened, Nico groaned, flopping on his back.

_ Why am I so bad at being good _ ? he thought to himself angrily. The son of Hades had spent the rest of the day isolated near the docks, skipping dinner. When he did go back to the Hades Cabin, he caught sight of Will leaving the Apollo Cabin to the infirmary. The medic locked eyes with Nico momentarily before turning away as if he hadn't even seen him in the first place. Nico tried to ignore the pang in his chest, slumping into the Hades Cabin and falling in and out of fitful sleep for the rest of the night.

And that’s how he ended up alone in his cabin the next day, wallowing in self-pity. He was drawn out of his self-loathing thoughts by a knock on his door, immediately shooting up from his bed and hurrying to the door. When the door swung open, he processed an initial sight of blonde hair and blue eyes and felt his heart lift for a moment. However, he quickly realized who it was, scowling and turning away.

“Not in the mood, Grace. If you have something to say, make it quick,” Nico grumbled.

Jason didn’t say anything for a few seconds before proceeding to enter Nico’s cabin despite the son of Hades protests. Jason stood by the bed, staring Nico down sternly.

“I’m not leaving until you explain why you’re so upset today. You’re more moody than usual, and that says a lot.”

Nico scowled, slamming the door behind him as stalked over to his bed and sat down. Jason took the hint and sat down with him, waiting patiently for him to explain.

Instead, Nico asked, “How did you know I’m in a bad mood? We didn’t even talk today,” he grumped.

Jason raised an eyebrow at the younger demigod, “Percy and I share our collective data on you. He would have come to talk to you himself but he wasn’t sure if he was best suited to talk to you.”

Nico scoffed, “Mm. Sure.”

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Jason spoke up again. “Ok, look. Are you going to explain or not? I want to help you, but you’re going to have to meet me halfway.”

Nico sighed. He didn’t feel like talking about it, mostly because he didn’t want Jason to have to deal with his shit. But the last thing he wanted was to piss off another person in his life. So he launched into his explanation of the previous day’s events. Jason was a good listener, remaining quiet and not letting his emotions slip. By the time Nico finished his explanation, he felt tense, that same anger from the day before rearing its ugly head.

“Well? What do you have to say? Or are you just going to sit there silently judging me?” he grumbled impatiently. Jason still didn’t respond for a few more seconds, and Nico was tempted to just throw him out of his cabin, when the son of Jupiter abruptly asked, “Do you really believe in what you said to Will?”

Nico stared at Jason, a little off put. “I- what do you mean?”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean,” was all he said.

Nico mulled it over. He was tempted to stick to his guns and stand by everything he said, but he knew deep down that wasn’t the case. He also knew that Jason wasn’t going to take his bullshit ( _ something which Nico would come to be deeply grateful for _ ) as he sighed.

“No… I mean, I know that Will and I are friends, or at least we were. And I know that he’s dealt with his own shit in life but… something just overtook me. I was so  _ angry _ , and I don’t have any idea why,” Nico mumbled, fidgeting with the skull ring on his finger.

Jason hummed, seeming to think over what Nico said for a second. “Well, first of all, I’m glad you understand that you aren’t alone, and that you have friends. But as for the anger that you mentioned… you seemed to really get angry because of Will talking about other LGBT+ campers. Think more on that, and try to figure out what’s at the root of your anger.”

That sounded like complete psychological bullshit to Nico, but he complied, focusing on backtracking his anger and his mental arguments to the source. “I was… I think I might have been a little jealous? I don’t know if that’s the word but I just felt bad that I couldn’t be as openly comfortable as him. Like there was something wrong with me for not even being able to say the word g- uh, you know.”

Jason nodded, “I see. You know, I’m obviously no sort of medical professional; I’m not even remotely qualified to give you serious advice, but maybe this has something to do with your own problems with your sexuality? I mean, you only were really forced to face it recently, and the way in which that happened was harrowing. I think you still need to deal with what you are feeling, and because you still haven’t it boiled up into that anger,” Jason paused, shrugging. “Like I said, I’m not going to try and diagnose you with something or insist that this is what your feelings are, but that’s what it sounds like to me. What do you think?”

Nico frowned, thinking to himself for a few moments. “I… That’s kind of it, I guess. I don’t know if I know how to put it into words, but what you said…” the younger boy trailed off, groaning as he fell backwards on his bed. “I fucked up, Jason. And now Will probably hates me.”

Jason sighed, shaking his head. “I’m not going to deny that the things that happened between you two were not great, and that you definitely could have handled it better. But I don’t think Will hates you, dude. He’s most probably upset and hurt, but he also clearly cares about you. I don’t think he would give up on trying to make things work out between you two if you stop moping and sincerely apologize.”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “Do I have to?”

“Do you want your friend back?”

Another sigh. “Fair point, I guess.” He sat himself back up, nodding slowly. “Right. I’ll apologize… tonight before the campfire and after his late shift.”

The corners of Jason’s lips turned up, “You know his schedule?”

Nico rolled his eyes, shooting the older boy a look. “Shut up and get out before I send you to vacation with my father.”

Jason laughed in response, but nonetheless got off the bed and headed to the door. As he was turning the doorknob, Nico called out. “Hey. Thanks for the help. You… you’re a good listener.”

Jason flashed him a smile. “Go get your man, dude,” he said, ducking out the door before Nico could chuck his shoe at him. As the door closed behind the older boy, Nico took a deep breath, already mentally practicing for the upcoming conversation with one main goal in mind.

_ I’m not running. This time, I’m going to fix things. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehhhhhhh, how was it? I haven't really written something with this sort of argumentative nature in it, I guess? I don't know. I'm not to great at writing conflict, if that makes sense, but...
> 
> Also, with the whole recap-by-Nico part, should I section it off differently? I was going to italicize all of it, but I also really like using italics for emphasis, so I was a little averse to that formatting idea. IDK though.
> 
> Leave any feedback you might have, if you want!


	7. I Don't Want To Say Goodnight (Pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sixth time (extended): Nico and Will talk things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this now because I have a busy day tomorrow and I don't want to forget lol. School starts for me on Wednesday, so I've got to actually get prepped tomorrow lmaooo (can I get a wahoo for procrastination on everything school-related?)
> 
> But anyways, this chapter is a continuation of the last because it would have be uncharacteristically long otherwise.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

After dinner finished up, Nico made his way to the infirmary, sitting on the steps outside as he waited for Will to finish up his shift

He was in the middle of playing the world’s most pathetic game of tic-tac-toe in the dirt against himself when the door opened and Will stepped out. When the son of Apollo caught sight of Nico, his blue eyes became icy.

“You do know you can enter the infirmary if you need to? You don’t need some exquisite invitation,” the older boy grumbled, walking down the steps. Nico didn’t say anything, a little taken back by Will’s change in demeanor, even if he had prepared himself for it.

He snapped himself back to the present situation. “I was here for you, actually. I knew your shift would finish up around now, so…”

Will frowned, eyes scanning Nico in a critical manner. “Kind of defeats the purpose of telling me to  _ fuck off _ right?”

Nico winced, feeling anxiety building up in his chest. It wasn’t too late to just back out, but Nico knew that he wouldn’t sleep right knowing that he didn’t give it his best shot to try and salvage his friendship with Will. “Can we just talk? Please?”

Will still looked miffed, but Nico saw something flicker behind his eyes as he hesitated. “Fine,” he finally said, as Nico felt a little bit of the pressure in his chest start to deflate.

Nico led Will to the docks again. He originally considered the Hades Cabin, but he felt like it didn't exactly have the healing or peaceful energy that the boys needed. The two sat at the edge of the dock, in the same position as the day before. Will watched Nico carefully, waiting for him to start.

“I’m sorry,” Nico mumbled, trying to remember all the things he wanted to get out. “I was callous and hurtful to you yesterday when you were just trying to be nice to me. You were being a supportive… a supportive friend, and I let my anger take over.”

Nico paused there, glancing at Will for his input. The son of Apollo was staring at the horizon, emotionless, and Nico wondered if he should continue talking. Before he could, however, Will spoke up.

“Why?”

Nico blinked, a little unsure of what Will meant. Will seemed to catch on as he elaborated, “Why were you so angry? What did I do to you?”

Nico sighed, averting his own gaze and focusing on the horizon as well. “I… You were so excited about me being, uh, not straight. I don’t- I can’t understand that. I wanted to be able to be excited and happy with you, but honestly I hate myself and that part of me. So I was getting angry at myself for not feeling the same, like there was something wrong with me, and I lashed out at you.”

Nico felt a small weight lift off his chest at his own explanation. It felt like he had finally gotten some of his feelings straight, and it felt pretty good. Seems Jason was right, that finding the root of the issue would help.

Meanwhile, Will had gone silent again for a few seconds before whispering, “Internalized homophobia.”

Nico frowned, glancing at the son of Apollo. “Pardon me?”

Will chewed his lip, turning to face Nico for the first time since the conversation started.

“What you're describing sounds like internalized homophobia. It’s basically where you take homophobia from your outside environment and various beliefs that follow it and direct it at yourself. It can make you angry and aggressive to other people or make you hate yourself and anxious about topics relating to LGBT+,” Will explained.

Nico blinked, processing the information. “How do you know that? Is that a doctor thing?”

Will shrugged. “Kind of. But I’ve actually had to deal with it myself, so I kind of understand where you are coming from.” Will shot him a stern look. “It doesn’t mean I’m ok with the things you said yesterday, though.”

Nico nodded, although he was a little distracted by what Will had just said. “What do you mean  _ you dealt with it yourself _ ?” he asked cautiously.

Will seemed to mull over the question for a few seconds before answering. “Before my mom moved us to Austin for her music, we lived in a smaller town in Texas. And, well, people weren’t too accepting of the LGBT+ community. I mean, it was just a lot of older beliefs, I guess, and people were pretty religious but…” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I had trouble making friends when I was little because of who I was. Even before I realized I was bi, people assumed based on the way I acted that I wasn’t straight. Some kids were outright mean to me, but others just avoided me in general. Even after we moved and despite my mom telling me if I wasn’t straight, it would be ok, I hated myself for it.”

Nico fidgeted with his skull ring, taking a deep breath. “How did you make it stop? The… the  _ hatred  _ and  _ anger _ .”

Will sighed, a small smile gracing his lips. “It took a good amount of time to accept that this is a part of me. I think coming to Camp helped. As I told you, most people at Camp are really supportive, and sometimes that’s the best way to start. It doesn’t fix everything, but I know having my siblings and friends to help me through my negative feelings, or at least listen to what’s going through my head was really helpful,” Will glanced at Nico, eyeing the son of Hades warily as he waited for his response.

Nico swallowed, nodding slowly. “Got it. Well, as I said before, I’m sorry for what I said. I-I still have a lot to learn about this whole friendship thing.”

Will studied Nico critically for a few seconds, but to the son of Hades it felt like hours. Finally, he sighed, running a hand lightly through his knotted curls. “I accept your apology. And I guess it’s as good as any time to tell you that I’m sorry as well. I got a little too pushy, and I guess I just wanted to be able to overlook the shortcomings of other campers, myself included. People haven’t treated you right in the past, but I promise you that I’ll be there to help you feel more included in Camp.”

Nico nodded, feeling a little awkward as a silence settled between the two demigods. It was better than the tension between them originally, however, so Nico didn’t complain. After a few moment, Nico spoke first. “I do have one question for you.”

Will hummed, urging the son of Hades to continue. Nico took a deep breath, praying his question wouldn’t mess things up again. “Why  _ did _ you suddenly start talking to me after the battle with Gaea? I mean, we both spoke briefly in the past from what I can recall, but you really went all in on trying to develop a friendship between us this time…” 

Will tensed up, and Nico was worried that he fucked up yet again. However, when he looked at Will, he realized the boy’s ears were red, a matching shade of blush across his cheeks. 

The son of Apollo cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. “Don’t get mad. Or laugh at me,” he mumbled. Nico just raised an eyebrow, nodding at the older boy.

Will let out a huff of air. “I, um…  _ Fuck _ , I’m really sorry if this messes things up between us, but honestly this is good. I doubt I would have been able to keep on hiding this, you know? Although, I don’t know if I did a good job being subtle anyways, but-”

“Will,” the son of Hades interrupted gently. “It’s ok.”

Will flashed him an awkward smile, before straightening up. “I had a huge crush on you, but I was too nervous to talk to you. You were just so cool and confident and, well… during the battle, on the hill, I realized that was my chance, so I ran with it,” he announced, looking slightly queasy at the explanation being out in the open.

Nico felt his heart skip a beat, his face turning a shade of red that rivalled Will’s. “A-are you serious?”

Will nodded, burying his face in his hands as he spewed out a million apologies. Nico took a few seconds to properly process what Will just told him before gently placing his hand on Will’s shoulder. 

The son of Apollo lifted his face out of his hands, looking completely flustered. Before he could stutter out yet another apology, Nico spoke up.

“I think I like you too.”

Will’s eyes widened, staring at Nico for a few seconds before a huge grin stretched across his face. “You’re serious? This isn’t just because you want to make me feel better? Because I swear it will be a lot easier to handle if you are honest. I can handle the rejection and… ugh I’m rambling again, sorry. But is this for real?”

Nico nodded, the corners of his lips flickering up at Will’s flustered rambles. “I promise this isn’t just a pity act. It’s the real deal.”

Will was smiling like a complete idiot now, and Nico noticed the freckles across his skin were glowing a dim gold shade. The two made eye contact, both awkwardly chuckling.

“So, what now?” Will asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Nico chewed his lip, hesitating. “I think that I still need some time to figure out my feelings and deal with my own issues. So… maybe we could just be friends for now?”

Will smiled gently at Nico. “I can wait for as long as you need,” he said. Nico let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, relaxing slightly.

Another few moments of silence passed between them. Then Will said, “For the record, I might have forgiven you, but you still broke my heart. You better haul your ass to the infirmary bright and early tomorrow, Nurse Nico. You owe me three days of hard labor.”

The son of Hades rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you came up with a nickname worse than  _ Death Boy _ . Is annoying an Apollo-exclusive trait or something?”

Will laughed softly at that, and Nico found himself smiling too. He felt Will hesitantly interlock their hands as they continued talking, and Nico responded with a quick squeeze, enjoying watching the older boy brighten up at the simple gesture of acceptance.

Their relationship was far from perfect; Nico and Will both had a lot more personal growth to endure before they could consider diving into a relationship. But for now, Nico was satisfied to be sitting and laughing with one of his closest friends until the harpies came out. And when they said their reluctant goodnights, Nico fell asleep with a warm feeling in his chest and a single ( _ albeit cheesy _ ) thought on repeat in his head.

_ This is the start of something wonderful. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! The boys did the feelings!
> 
> But ok, from a writing perspective these last two chapters were hard for me, mostly because I'm not sure how well I set up the conflict and resolution. The ending was a little rough with the apologies transitioning into a confession, but I tried. :P
> 
> I'm also not completely sure if my description/definition of internalized homophobia is correct. I did do research and have personally dealt with it in my past, but I'm not sure if it came it right when I wrote it down.
> 
> However, I really do hope you enjoyed reading. The final chapter is somewhat of an epilogue (I don't think that's the correct word, but oh well). I'm excited for that chapter, because I've had that endgame pictured in my head since the start of the fic. At any rate, I'll try to have it up earliest Wednesday and latest Saturday (although if you have read any of my other multichapter fics, you would know I lack t i m e m a n a g e m e n t).
> 
> That's all. Leave any reviews/feedback, if you want!


	8. Rainbows Are Shining Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millionth time: Will wakes Nico up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, the final chapter! 
> 
> I was going back-and-forth between posting this today or going over it a g a i n and waiting till tomorrow, but at this point I think there is nothing else I would want to add to the chapter. It is a bit short but oh well.
> 
> Anyways, I'll probably be rambling more in the end notes. For now, I'll shut up before this turns into a five paragraph essay lmao.
> 
> Enjoy! :)
> 
> \- alltheglowingeyes

_ 6 years later _ …

For what could have been the millionth time, Will woke Nico up. This time, however, there were no crazy masks or random feather tickling. Instead, Nico was roused from his sleep gently with a shower of light kisses on the side of his face and neck.

He groaned, wrinkling his nose as he pulled the covers over his face. “Mm,” he mumbled, ever so eloquently.

The son of Hades heard Will laughing gently next to him, “C’mon, darling. It’s almost ten now. You’ve got to get up eventually.”

Nico huffed, cracking his eyes open slightly and shifting closer to Will’s warmth. “No I don't. Let me live,” he huffed.

Will buried his face into the crook of the son of Hades’ neck. “Aw… cute, but I made breakfast and everything. Please?”

Nico’s eyes widened as he sat up slightly, turning to face Will. “I thought we established that you aren’t allowed alone in the kitchen. We don’t want another Waffles’ Wednesday incident.”

Will pouted. “That was one time! Besides, Percy and Annabeth got us a new waffle maker, so it worked out beautifully, if I do say so myself.”

Nico rolled his eyes, reaching a hand out in an attempt to flatten Will’s insane curly bedhead, as the son of Apollo batted his hand away. “Oi! You’re frizzing it!”

“It’s already frizzed, you dork,” Nico snorted, as he settled comfortably on his back and tried to close his eyes again. He got about three more seconds of peace before he felt Will begin to insistently poke his face.

“Hey. You. Hello? Are you there? Is there anyone home? Death Boy, give me attention. Why don’t you love me. Please-”

Nico sighed, launching himself into an upright position and shooting Will a look. “What are you, five? And I  _ told _ you, I’m twenty in January, Sunshine. Death Boy isn’t appropriate for me anymore.”

Will looked completely unabashed, instead grinning cheekily as he moved closer to Nico, poking his nose. “Well what do I call you then? Death Man, perhaps?”

Nico made a miserable attempt to suppress a snort at the notion of Will referring to him as Death Man. “Yeah, sure. Because that totally wouldn’t solidify the idea to mortals that I’m Slenderman or some shit.”

Will chuckled at Nico’s response, before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to the son of Hades’ forehead. “I’ll keep working on it then. While I’m doing that, get dressed, okay? If you’re not up and at ‘em in ten minutes, I’m eating your toast.”

Nico let out a fake horrified gasp as Will tumbled out of the bed and headed to the kitchen of their apartment. The blonde’s laughter at his stupid threat echoed through their home while Nico pushed himself out of bed.

He grabbed a hoodie that was carelessly strewn on the floor ( _ Will’s probably; for a guy who was so insistent on being sanitary, he was a real slob with his clothes _ ) and some other casual indoor clothes before ambling towards the bathroom. After a quick shower and brushing his teeth, he stepped out of the bathroom, pausing for a moment to just take in his life.

Had someone told him at age eleven that he would end up living in California with his boyfriend of almost five years, the two splitting their time between attending college, visiting Camp Jupiter, and slowly but surely building a life together, Nico would have probably thrown a rock at them for pulling his leg. But here he was, happier than he ever thought he could be. 

Life wasn’t perfect, of course; the first few months that the couple had moved in together was a rocky transitional period from just dating and seeing each other around Camp. College was also a whole other story; it took lots of effort and tutoring from various Athena campers plus Chiron for Nico to be able to receive the equivalent of a high school education a year after Will. And they weren’t completely exempt from monster attacks or nightmares plaguing their sleep, despite their age. And yet Nico was so happy, waking everyday just genuinely excited to be alive.

“Who would’ve thought it, huh?” Nico whispered to himself as he smiled to himself. He felt a slight twinge of melancholy as he thought of what Bianca would say, seeing him all grown-up. And while that pain was never going to go away, he quickly felt overwhelmed by the love that he had received from so many people in his life, the support circle he had built.

He was snapped out of his reverie as he saw Will pop his head out from the doorframe. “Hey, babe?”

Nico raised an eyebrow at Will’s sheepish tone, “What’s wrong?”

Will grinned, stepping into full view with a plate in his hands. As Nico stepped forward to see what he was holding, he snorted at the sight. The toast on the plate was nearly as dark as Nico’s hair. 

Nico sighed, picking up the toast in his hands and shooting Will a look, “This is why  _ I’m _ in charge of meals, Sunshine.”

Will pouted at the dig. “C’mon! At least this time it’s not on fire or something.  _ And _ , I got it out of the-” Suddenly, Will paused, eyes widening comically as he handed the plate over to Nico, “Shit! I forgot the toast in the toaster!”

The son of Apollo dashed down the hall cursing as Nico laughed, placing the toast back on the plate. Stepping out into the hallway, Nico glanced back into their sunlit bedroom, a quick thought fleeting through his mind.

_ Today is going to be a good day. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S ACTUALLY DONE. MY DUMBASS FINISHED A MULTI-CHAPTER FIC.
> 
> (Even if it's just eight chapters lmaooo)
> 
> But seriously, thank you if you read this whole story through! This last chapter was hard to write, mostly because I had originally written multiple paragraphs in the middle describing life for Will and Nico in the six years. But it felt a little awkward so I left it out in the end.
> 
> Also, I had no idea what to put as the last line, but I had the DEH soundtrack in my head and that line stuck out to me so... IDK. :P
> 
> Finally, thank you for 1k hits on this, and for any support in general! I don't really know if 1k is a big deal, but to me it is seeing as I started writing again as a brain dump originally.
> 
> I genuinely hope you enjoyed the story and this final chapter. Now, I'm going to get back to actually writing my other chaptered fics and requests lmaoooo (me on Carry Me Home: "LoL i'LL tRy tO upDaTe weEkLy" LIAR)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked this chapter. It was a bit shorter, but I swear a lot of the other chapters will be longer!
> 
> Leave me feedback/reviews on what you think.
> 
> You can follow me on my tumblr @alltheglowingeyess for updates on multichapter fics/a compiled list of my one-shots/random Riordanverse shit, or to just say hi. :)


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